Why voters should support climate-friendly candidate

4 months ago 40

As preparations for this year’s governorship election in Edo State gather momentum, the need to remind the electorate to support and vote massively for a climate-friendly candidate has become increasingly imperative. Governorship elections are held every four years and their outcomes have demonstrably proven to have a profound impact on the state’s environmental and climate policies.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria, has fixed Saturday, September 21 as the date for the governorship election in the state. The commission recently published the final list of candidates for the election, following the conclusion of party primaries and the end of the period for withdrawal and substitution of candidates as provided in the timetable and schedule of activities for the election.

The electioneering in public by political parties, according to the commission, commenced on Wednesday, April 24, and would end at midnight on Thursday, September 19, that is, 24 hours before the date fixed for the election as provided by law. Moreover, INEC has harped on the need for the political parties to adhere strictly to the timeline for the upload of the list of polling and collation agents to the dedicated portal for the polls.

From all indications, Edo State, which is geographically situated along Nigeria’s low belt region, has had its fair share of environmental and ecological challenges over the years. Notably, these challenges are rife across some communities within the three senatorial districts in the state, including growing evidence of climate change threats.

Consequently, Edo State has continued to experience unpredictable weather conditions such as extreme temperature that results in excessive heat, decline in annual rainfall, air pollution, energy poverty, frequent flooding, erosion etc. For example, the premises and vicinity of educational institutions such as Queen Ede and Edo College, Iguosa, Ekenhuan Road and Gapiona in Edo South senatorial district, Ambrose Ali University, Emu, Ugboha and Ibore in Edo Central and Igbe Road and Oshiobugie in Edo North Senatorial districts, are worst hit.

It may be recalled that less than four months to the forthcoming governorship election in the state, the premises of the INEC in Benin City, the state capital, were ravaged by flood. The commission disclosed that the flood damaged a section of the building and destroyed voter registration machines and other items. INEC has however, reassured the government and people of Edo State that the incident will not jeopardise its pre-election activities, adding that the damaged enrolment machines for the continuous voter registration in the state, have been promptly configured, in addition to the supplementary machines deployed from the neighbouring states to make up for the shortfall.

At the maiden edition of the Edo Climate Summit which was held recently in Benin City, under the auspices of Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative, the stakeholders observed that climate-induced weather conditions have further widened the poverty gap in the state and now undermined its contribution to both local and state development, including the well-being of the people.

In an attempt to tackle the problem, the administration of Mr Godwin Obaseki, the incumbent governor of the state, launched the “Clean and Green” initiative, which was aimed at promoting tree planting, green spaces, and beautification schemes. Although concrete actions, ranging from training programmes and capacity building for environmental personnel as well as engagement with international climate finance have been prioritised under the initiative, a lot more needs to be done in order to accomplish its mandate holistically.

Similarly, Obaseki’s predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, and other past governors in the state had set up several initiatives aimed at tackling the age-long gully erosion hazards and a host of other environmental problems confronting the state. Sadly, these efforts seem grossly insignificant, especially when juxtaposed with the devastating ecological quandaries which have haplessly brought the state to its knees.

Given the importance of climate change, it ought to be a top priority subject that should be adequately addressed in the ongoing electioneering and rallies across the state. It behoves all the candidates representing the different political parties that are in the race to unveil their climate policies as stipulated in their respective party manifestos. The onus lies on the candidate to reassure the voters of their party’s commitment to climate change and environmental sustainability issues in Edo State. Moreover, there should not be any form of political silence on climate during campaigns. The candidates should tell the electorate how they intend to tackle the multidimensional ecological crisis in the state.

In light of this, the three front-running gladiators in the Edo State governorship race- Dennis Idahosa, the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress; Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party- as well as other contenders, should step up and bring their different perspectives and action plans for climate to the campaign trail, forums and debates as the election date draws closer. This will go a long way in raising more awareness, enriching the campaign and giving more insights to the electorate on the subject matter. They have to bring the voters to speed in this regard.

On their part, the electorate should ensure that they demand answers for the mind-boggling climate-related questions from candidates and representatives of the political parties that are in the race to lead the state. They must speak out and let the candidates know how dear environmental and climate issues are to their hearts.

From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that the Edo electorate cannot afford to vote for a governorship aspirant whose beliefs, thinking and inclination towards climate are not explicitly articulated and well defined. They cannot afford to vote for a candidate who will treat the protracted ecological problems and climate-driven challenges with kid gloves. In other words, Edo State is in dire need of a governor that is not only climate-friendly but a governor that is well equipped with what it truly takes to fix the problems head-on.

Since climate change poses an existential threat to the state, it is imperative that the voters take climate as their number one priority and also be mindful that their choice of candidate in the upcoming election, will shape the trajectory of the state’s climate policies. They must therefore vote wisely in order to support and foster a sustainable future for their beloved state.